


5 Times Bitty Panicked Over His Wedding (& 1 time it worked out)

by wannabe_someone



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: (technically im not gay, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Jewish Jack Zimmermann, M/M, Nonbinary Derek "Nursey" Nurse, but like, but like... im not het, idk how to tag this, it looks more like a kilt ig, shitty totally wears a skirt to the wedding, sooo, t for language, u can rip this out of my gay jewish hands, who uses he/they pronouns
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:00:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26953273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wannabe_someone/pseuds/wannabe_someone
Summary: it's literally the title feat. an ensemble cast of SMH and various other people
Relationships: Derek "Nursey" Nurse/William "Dex" Poindexter, Eric "Bitty" Bittle/Jack Zimmermann, Larissa "Lardo" Duan/Shitty Knight
Comments: 4
Kudos: 82





	5 Times Bitty Panicked Over His Wedding (& 1 time it worked out)

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to chcckplease for the beta and for helping me write one of their ideas!!! It was awesome and like, because of them i noticed stuff that would have bugged me forever when I reread it, so yay!!!
> 
> enjoy this lovely mix of crack, fluff, and angst y'all
> 
> also am i a bad jew for having to look up what a ketubah was (because aphasia) and also how to spell it? not really words are hard

1

Bad Bob walked into his son and soon to be son in law’s apartment and was met with complete and utter chaos. Alicia was working on a project, so he’d decided to come down to Providence for a few days to help his son out with wedding planning. For most of it, they had gotten a planner, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t still large amounts of work to do.

Chairs were scattered everywhere, most of them draped with fabric swatches, with a large table in the center of the room covered in cards, waiting until the couple finalized the guest list.

Bob carefully made his way across the room, getting on his tiptoes in places to avoid disturbing the piles that had formed. Jack didn’t notice him until he sat down, peering over his shoulder to look at a carefully organized spreadsheet.

Jack tried to hide his surprise. “Euh. Hi.”

Bitty turned around, looking up from the bread he was kneading, his sleeves rolled up and apron covered in flour. “Oh! Hi . . . Mr. Zimmerman! I didn’t hear you come in! I thought your plane landed at 4:00 p.m.!”

He turned to look at the clock as Jack hung his head in his hands, embarrassed by Bitty’s formality. Bob tried not to laugh. Bitty still didn’t know what to do around him, even after several years of dating. 

“Bits,” Jack said gently. “It’s after 4:00 p.m..”

Bob smiled. “I remember planning my wedding. It’s fine. I would be more surprised if you boys weren’t stressed.”

Jack looked back at Bob, as if to tell him ‘you don’t even know.’ Bob clapped his hands together, unsure of what to say next. “So . . . what are you doing today?”

“We’re working on the guest list,” Jack replied timidly, then jumped as Bitty slammed the door to Betsy III, having been looking at the thermometer in the oven. The face Bitty made as he turned around was one Bob had never seen, a mixture of stress and anger. He went back to kneading the bread, digging his fingers into it ferociously.

“We can agree on a lot of people--Tater, Marty and his family, Ransom, Holster, Shitty, Lardo, and the Tadpoles and Waffles. I thought I’d talk to you and Maman on who from your families we should invite. Bitty’s family . . .”

“Oh.”

Jack grimaced as Bitty’s phone buzzed and he tried to pick it up before remembering that his hands were covered in bread dough. Jack picked it up instead, unlocking it. He sighed. “It’s your Aunt Judy. Again.”

Under his breath, Bitty muttered “bless her heart,” then asked, “What did she say?”

“Same thing as the last few times.”

Bitty took a knife and started to slice slits in the top of the loaf he had in front of him. “I am not going to invite her family or any of my cousins. Or Moomaw, for that matter. My wedding is my wedding and I do not want my extended family to ruin it.

Bitty’s phone rang again and he let it go to voicemail as he washed his hands and took off his apron. A few seconds later, it rang again. Bitty sighed and picked it up, plastering a fake smile on his face.

“Oh, hi y’all!”

He strode across the room so that he was out of earshot, taking the phone call in private.

“How long?”

Jack sighed, picking up a pile of papers next to the laptop and lining them up before moving to the next stack. He’d never been able to stay still for very long when someone he loved was in trouble.

“Since he made that vlog about the wedding. A few of his cousins stalk his YouTube.”

“Have they been blocked?”

“We’ve stopped keeping track of the number of times.” Jack laced his fingers together, then pulled his hands away, gripping his knees instead.

Bob vaguely knew about the vlog in question, enough to know that this had been going on for weeks.

“Everyone who has hurt him in the past suddenly wants to get invited. So far, his only family that’s coming is Suzanne and Coach. I’m trying to keep it that way.”

Bitty walked out of the hallway, still wearing that fake smile. “Anything I can get for you, honey?”

“No, I’m fine.”

Bitty changed course, going towards his fiance instead, just standing there, burying his face in Jack’s shoulder. Bob almost looked away, afraid that if this went on for much longer he might start crying. And they didn’t need more tears right now--they needed his support.

From inside the embrace, Bitty’s phone rang, and he ducked out, taking a deep breath. “It’s Mama.” He set the phone on the island. “Mama, you’re on speaker.”

“Oh, Dicky, I’m so sorry. I just heard!”

“It’s fine, Mama. I handled it.”

In his mind, Bob could see Suzanne hunched over the phone, in an apron, hands on her hips, ready to fight anyone who made her son feel this way.

“You shouldn’t have to handle it, Dicky. That’s all I’m saying.”

Jack smiled at the phone. “Euh. Thanks Mrs. Bittle.” 

Suzanne’s voice changed, becoming more stern. “It’s Suzanne, honey.”

“Jack. Bitty. Suzanne is right. Neither of you should have to deal with this.” He turned to Jack. “Are the Levine’s on the list?”

Jack looked surprised. “Yes?”

“Take them off. Nobody will need to know, and it will save everyone a lot of trouble, especially since your friend Nursey will be there. They shouldn’t be subjected to seeing that side of your family. And as far as Bitty’s family goes--Suzanne, you weren’t planning on telling anyone that you were invited?”

Suzanne laughed. “Of course not. Bless their hearts, but none of them should be allowed anywhere near my son on his special day.”

“Good.”

He turned back towards Bitty and Jack. “Like Suzanne said, this is your day. You shouldn’t have to deal with anyone ruining it, especially homophobic family members.”

Bitty sniffed. “We knew they were just going to use it to get the wedding favors anyway, but they are family.” Then, uncharacteristically rudely, he said, “They’re homophobic assholes anyways. It serves them right.”

Suzanne’s horrified gasp could be heard through the phone. “Dicky! Language!”

Bob laughed. “Your son played college hockey. I’m surprised he hasn’t said anything like this before now.”

Bitty smiled. “I did. I just did it in a southern way. Quietly, politely, and behind their backs. Isn’t that right, Mama?” he called.

Bob could hear Suzanne’s wicked grin through the phone. “What can I say?” she said primly. “I taught him all I knew.”

At that moment, Bob knew that this wedding was in the right hands, and that all would go smoothly, even if the beginning had caused them an incredible amount of stress.

2

“We agreed on four people each, Bits.”

From his chair, Bitty groaned. “It’s not my fault that I have too many friends to choose from, Mr. Zimmerman. Not everyone can be a hockey robot.”

Jack laughed at the chirp, still staring at the book on his lap. He didn’t usually read anything about World War II, but a friend had convinced him that this would be worth his time. He looked up to see Bitty’s fuming face, cheeks turning pink from spending hours in the kitchen. Bitty let his head drop into his arms. “If I’m not alive tomorrow, I’m blaming y’all.”

From his spot on the couch, Bob laughed. “This is just between you and Jack,” he reminded Bitty. “Who are you thinking about for your groomspeople?”

“Lardo and Shruti. Other than that,” Bitty declared, throwing up his hands, “I have no idea. And I need to come up with a good way to tell them all. It’s tradition.”

Jack and Bob shared a look, as if laughing at how extra their family can be. “I remember Alicia doing the same thing.”

Bitty sprinted across the room, jumping over the worst of the piles. “How did she decide?”

At this point, Bitty was seconds away from getting on his knees and begging.

“She didn’t.”

Bitty’s face lit up at the exact second Jack’s soul left his body. Bob found himself desperately scrambling for a way to help Bitty while respecting Jack’s wishes for a small, somewhat private wedding. He was just about to speak when Bitty realized his mistake.

“I would never do that to you, sweetheart. I know you’ve always wanted a small wedding, and to be honest, I’m glad we went with it. It means less work for the two of us. And Lord knows I could use less stress right now.” Bitty placed a quick kiss on the brunet’s cheek and Jack smiled, grabbing his hand and squeezing it.

“If you want, I can…”

Bitty smiled at him. “It’s fine. This is what we wanted, remember? It’s just so dang hard to decide.”

“The Tadpoles?”

Bitty nodded, starting to pace around the room. “If I have Chowder be one of my groomspeople, I’ll feel like I need the rest to be there, but then I have five people! And I can’t exclude any one of them, it just feels wrong!” He sighed. “I guess if I had to choose, it would be Dex, Chowder, Lardo, and Shruti, but then I feel bad about Nursey.”

Jack raised an eyebrow. “I think Nursey would be fine with it.”

“So it’s decided?”

Bitty draped himself artfully over his fiance’s lap. “And now I need to make them all personalized pies. Wake me up in an hour, sweetheart.”

“I will.”

The next day, Bob got put to work in the kitchen. “Normally I would ask Jack, but he’s at practice,” Bitty explained, throwing an apron at Bob. “And I love him, but he is not as good at baking as he is at hockey.”

Bob stared at the apron in his hands. “You think I can cook?”

Bitty started to rummage through the cabinets, pulling out flour and a tin of letter cutouts. “I’ve seen your twitter, honey. You have to be better than my fiancé.”

Bob laughed. “What do you need me to do?”

Several hours later there were four pies cooling on the counter, all of them bearing the message ‘will you be my groomspeople?’

Bob stared at them, wiping sweat from his forehead. He hadn’t realized just how intense Bitty could get, especially over pie. Bitty was still running around, getting a tray together to carry the pies outside.

“How long until they’re here?”

“Only a half hour.”

Bitty saw the look on Bob’s face and laughed. “Honey, if you think these pies were done fast, you should have seen me in college.”

Bob was reminded of a late night phone conversation with his son in the middle of his senior year. Jack had most definitely noticed his skill, even with the amount of stress it caused him. He waved a hand at Bitty, still in short shorts and one of Jack’s shirts, not bothering to change before he started baking. “Are you going to . . . ”

Bitty looked down, as if noticing what he was wearing for the first time. “I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Bob waited for almost twenty minutes as Bitty showered and changed, then left the house. He really didn’t need to be there, and he wasn’t sure if Bitty would appreciate it.

By the time his friends arrived, Bitty was stressed. He was utterly afraid that something would go wrong, that they wouldn’t say yes, that his pie would be undercooked. Lardo was the first one to arrive and she noticed how stressed he was the second she walked in.

“Hey, Bits. You okay?”

Bitty went to put his hands in the pockets of his apron, then remembered that he wasn’t wearing one. “I’m fine! Never been better!” he said, his voice shrill. The more stressed he got, the less southern he sounded.

Lardo looked sceptical. “Okay, dude.” She shrugged. “Whatever you say.”

She was pretty sure she knew what was going on, so she opened the group text she’d made with Shruti, Chowder, and Dex, telling the rest of them that today was the day. She’d turned off notifications so she didn’t let on that she knew, but Lardo didn’t have to have notifications turned on to realize that Chowder would be sending a million texts a minute.

Eventually, the five of them were sitting on the balcony of Jack and Bitty’s apartment. Bitty had just gotten more and more fidgety since they’d arrived, to the point that they’d all gotten drinks just to let Bitty channel his energy into his trademark Southern hospitality.

All five of them sat silently as Bitty brought out the covered tray of pies and pulled off the towel. Sitting there were four perfect pies, all bearing the same message. “So, will you be my groomspeople?”

The response was unanimous, and Bitty started to slice into the pies, revealing their favorite flavors. Lardo didn’t start eating, instead getting a picture of her pie. Bitty just sat there as they talked and celebrated, all ready to help Bitty in any way possible.

Eventually, Dex, Chowder, and Shruti needed to leave, either to get back to campus or to their jobs, leaving just Lardo and Bitty on the balcony. Bitty had taken a piece of Lardo’s pie and was slowly eating it.

“I’m glad you’re going to be my groomspeople.”

Lardo dropped her fork on her plate. “Dude. We’re all honored to be your groomspeople. Do you think we would say no?”

Bitty stared at his pie. “Maybe?” he squeaked.

Lardo stared at him. “The fuck?” She moved towards him, so they were knee to knee. “We all love you, you idiot.”

“Thank you, Lardo.”

“Also, can I wear a suit to your wedding?”

Bitty smiled. “ Of course you can wear a suit. Shitty’s been threatening to wear a kilt to our wedding for the last year.”

Lardo sighed. “He’s getting Nursey to sew him one.”

3

Two months before the wedding, several cars pulled up in front of a small shop to look at suits. Bitty and Jack were already waiting out front, along with their mothers, who had insisted on coming with them. Lardo was the first person to get out of a car, along with Shitty. The rest of the groomspeople couldn’t make it, so this would just be for Bitty and Jack’s tuxes.

Unsurprisingly, Nursery had also shown up, supposedly to do research for a project he was working on. In reality, he just wanted to look at all the clothes.

“Hey, my dudes!” Lardo walked out of the car, smiling. “Ready to shop?”

Bitty had literally never seen Lardo this excited about clothes before, but they were also buying her a tux, despite tradition, so he understood that this meant a lot to her.

“Nice to meet you . . . ” Suzanne panicked a bit, not knowing what to call Lardo as she extended a hand to shake.

“Larissa. But everyone calls me Lardo.”

“And you’re . . . friends with Mr. Crappy?”

At that moment, Alicia stepped in, trying to avoid the awkwardness. “Nice to see you again, Lardo. How’s your show going?”

Lardo continued to chat with Alicia about her career as an artist as they walked into the store. Suzanne was similarly awkward around Nursey, who was wearing a short, flippy skirt that day, but was also willing to talk about pie, which was an automatic win in Suzanne’s book.

A salesperson met all of them at the door, but they all went to different parts of the store: Nursey and Shitty to look at suits, thinking of ways to get a skirt that went with it; Lardo, Jack, and Bitty went towards the tuxes; Alicia and Suzanne to just browse.

Jack and Bitty already had an idea of what they wanted, as they wanted a small but formal wedding. They’d booked the venue almost immediately when they had started planning, hoping to have the actual ceremony and party outside, surrounded by flowers. Because of that, they were both looking at the lighter tuxes, hoping to complement the backdrop.

However, Alicia and Suzanne were looking at the dark and relatively monochromatic suits, something that they had seen at almost every wedding. Bitty was the first one to notice. “Honey,” he whispered. “I think our mothers are getting ideas.”

Jack turned around, seeing his mom whispering to Suzanne at the opposite end of the store as the three of them, even if Lardo was lost in her own world, stroking a velvety suit. “It’ll be fine. It’s our wedding.”

Bitty smiled, trying to let go of his fears. It may be their wedding, but Suzanne Bittle was a force to be reckoned with.

Eventually, they all gathered in the middle of the store, trying to get everyone’s opinion before Jack and Bitty got fit for the tuxedos and decided on one for their groomspeople. Lardo had become their representative, sending pictures so that they all could weigh in on the discussion.

“So, what were you thinking, honey?” Suzanne smiled at her son. “I saw a lot of darling suits over there that I think would look amazing.”

Bitty scoffed. “I’m not wearing a black tuxedo to my wedding, Mother.” All of the resentment that had been building since he saw what she was looking at came out of his mouth at once. Suzanne was still smiling, but it seemed sharper, more dangerous. It sent a statement, as though saying as your mother, I know better than you.

Jack took a step forward, recognizing how angry his fiancé was. He’d only seen Bitty like this once before, during the first Christmas they spent in Madison.

Lardo had taken a step back, going to play on her phone, trying to avoid the situation. Shitty and Nursey looked up from the conversation they had with the assistant, morbidly curious.

“I am just trying to help you make a decision. Isn’t that right, Alicia?” Suzanne had raised an eyebrow at her, trying to summon backup. Alicia hesitated, then made up her mind.

“I trust Jack and Bitty’s judgement. I may have liked those suits, but if that’s not what they want, they don’t need to get them.” 

Jack smiled at his mother, glad that she was backing him up. Then he turned towards the situation at hand. “Bits. We can do this another time.”

“I’m fine, honey.”

Jack knew that was an outright lie, just by the way Bitty was overflowing with energy, clenching and unclenching his hands. “Not everything has to be done your way.”

“What was the point of inviting me if you weren’t going to listen?” Suzanne demanded.

“Because I want you to be involved in my life again!”

For Jack, that was the final straw. “Bits.” He grabbed his fiancé’s hand. “Let’s go.”

Bitty didn’t fight it. He followed Jack out of the store and outside.

After a minute, he asked the real question that had been bothering him. “Mon amour.”

Bitty let out a small smile, and just then, he noticed the tears in the blond’s eyes. “What . . . what’s going on?”

Bitty swallowed, clenching and unclenching his hands, pacing, playing with the cuffs of his shirt. “It’s nothing.”

“You yelling at Suzanne isn’t nothing.”

He sighed. “Just . . . ever since the kiss . . . things have been . . . .”

Jack winced. He had always felt bad about what had happened, even if it was something they had chosen to do. 

Bitty continued. “It’s been hard. And strained. And with our engagement… it’s almost like I’ve been waiting for the other shoe to drop. For Mama to do what I’d always expected. I still feel bad for not living up to her expectations, even if they’re . . .”

“Utter shit?”

“Watch your language, Mr. Zimmermann.”

“So when she helped with the guest list, that made you feel . . . guilty?”

Bitty sniffed. “Exactly. I know Shitty would lecture me for feeling how I feel, but . . . .”

“Oh.” Jack leaned in, grabbing Bitty’s hands. “Do you want to go back in there? We could go another time.”

“No.” Bitty smiled. “I need to apologize to Mama.”

They walked back into the shop holding each other’s hands. Suzanne immediately walked up, pulling Bitty into a hug. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. It’s my fault. Like Alicia said, it’s your wedding.”

Bitty almost buried his face into her shoulder like he’d done when he was younger, just barely stopping himself. “It’s all me. I shouldn’t have blown up at you.”

Suzanne stepped back, still holding onto his shoulders. “You don’t have to blame yourself for everything, honey.”

They sniffed in unison, trying not to show the last remnants of their anger. “So, which suits were you looking at?”

“Oh! Well, we’re doing an outside party and reception, so we were thinking light colors, with some pastel accents. There was this amazing pale gray suit that Jack was looking at--maybe he could wear a blue shirt or tie with it?”

As the two Bittles talked about the suit selection, Alicia walked over to Jack, knowing exactly what he felt. 

“Sometimes you do need to remember that people’s expectations aren’t the only things that matter.”

4

“Sweetheart, please?”

“For the last time, no.”

Bitty and Jack were sitting across from each other, staring each other down. Shitty was sitting on the third side of the table, quietly polishing off the remnants of the wedding cake samples. Bitty was pouting at his fiance, doing everything in his power to change his opinion, but Jack would not be moved.

Unsurprisingly, Ransom and Holster had entered the bakery and were surveying the dispute from a nearby table. Somehow, they always knew when a potentially hilarious fight between Bitty and Jack would occur, and were therefore required to live text it to Lardo.

Jack moved the piles of plates to the side so he could grab his fiance’s hand. “I understand that you love the peach-ginger jam, but…”

Bitty jerked his hand away, glaring at Jack. “Mr. Zimmermann, what were you going to say?”

Shitty, having no fear and the munchies, said exactly what Jack was thinking. “Nobody’s going to like the vanilla cake with peach jam, brah.”

Bitty glared at him hard enough that Shitty’s chair tipped over backwards, forcing him into the awkward position of being glared at while covered in cake. He got up off the floor, wiping the chocolate icing off of his shirt.

From their vantage point, Ransom and Holster were trying their hardest to hold in their laughter. Holster quickly took a picture of Shitty covered in cake to send to Lardo. 

Somehow, the three of them still didn’t realize that they were being watched.

“We should go for something more traditional, like chocolate?”

At this point, Bitty looked ready to lecture his fiancé on the finer points of the history of wedding cakes, complete with a powerpoint. Luckily, Shitty stepped in.

“Y’know, maybe we should work this out peacefully, brahs. Just figure out which flavors you like the most and go from there.”

Jack looked surprised. “That . . . might work?” He looked across the table. “Bits?”

Bitty was still fuming, but he had to admit it was an elegant solution. “Sure, honey. Whatever you say.”

“Okay!” Shitty clapped his hands. “Then let’s start. Just write down your favorite combinations, and we can go from there.”

For several minutes the table was quiet as Bitty hunched over his phone and Jack chewed on the end of his pen. Eventually, they were both done ranking the flavors. 

“So . . . what did you like?”

Bitty sighed. “Honey . . . .”

“The peach jam with the vanilla.”

“It’s summery! And I’m from Georgia!” He continued to glare at the brunet. “It’s not like you didn’t put down the maple cream cheese frosting as your first choice!”

Shitty winced as Jack hung his head. “Maybe you should do two cakes?”

Jack sighed. “We both want the traditional wedding cake. With the groom and groom cake toppers.”

“Okay.” Shitty very quickly ran from the table, going to a corner to hide. For once in his life, he had no idea what to say.

Ransom and Holster got up to talk to Shitty, escorting him back to their table. He got over their sudden appearance within seconds to start begging them for help. Holster and Ransom looked at each other. “Excel?”

Ransom nodded. “Excel.”

Two seconds later, they were standing in front of Bitty and Jack’s table, looking at their individual criteria. Ransom was already typing away as Holster spoke to the couple. “So, you want something summery, that can work with multiple tiers, and doesn’t have nuts, right?”

“And has general appeal.”

“Excuse me?”

“Look, Bits, not everyone loves peach-ginger jam in their cakes, okay?”

“So, as far as summery, we have?”

“The lemon, the vanilla, and the coconut.”

“But the coconut is something that Maman is allergic to.”

“And all of them can be several tiers, right?”

Both Bitty and Jack nodded. “I guess that means we’re going with either the lemon or the vanilla. And sorry Bits, but I agree with Jack. The peach filling is out.”

Bitty stared at the remnants of the cakes spread over the table. “Honey, what if we did a lemon cake with the strawberry-rhubarb filling?”

“We did both like it. And the flavors were amazing. It was tangy, but not too tangy.”

“We need something over the top, but I’m not sure what. And no fondant.”

“Okay… putting that down.”

“Ransom, honey?” Bitty winced. “I think we’ve mostly decided.” He turned back to look at Jack. “What if we did vanilla cake, but with a lemon frosting? Not nothing?”

“I don’t think so, Bits. It wouldn’t be the same.”

Bitty sighed. “Simple syrup over the top, then? As a glaze?”

“It would get us what we would want, and balance out the flavors.”

“The cake toppers would have to wait.”

“They would. But I think we can live without them.”

“Not if we did a naked wedding cake. Maybe with just a little bit of glaze?”

“Those are beautiful.” Jack grabbed Bitty’s hand. “I think we’ve decided.”

The blond smiled. “Then we can order it tonight.”

5

Jack woke up to the smell of pie and an empty bed. He yawned, rolling over to grab his phone. Bitty was up early, even by his standards. He quietly walked out of the bedroom, following the smell of pie.

“Mornin’ Bits. Wha- What are you doing?”

“I’m just baking, honey.” Bitty’s voice sounded small, timid. “Go back to sleep.”

“No, I-I want to be with you.”

Bitty turned back to the crust that he was working on. “Okay.”

Jack sat at one of the chairs in front of the island, watching his fiance work. Usually, Bitty would be dancing to Beyonce, or at least humming something under his breath. Today, the kitchen was silent except for the sounds of baking. Bitty turned around, taking a batch of pies out of the oven. “Want to help me package them?”

“Wedding favors?”

“Just put them in the bag, honey. They’re all identical, after all.”

They worked together in silence for a while, Bitty making the pies, Jack putting them into the bags. Eventually, Jack had to say what was on his mind. “Is something wrong, Bits?”

Bitty laughed. “I’m fine sweetheart. It just--it’s a lot, today.”

“If you want to back out, the ketubah won’t be signed until this afternoon.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Jack winced, realizing it was the wrong thing to say. “Sorry. That was not the right thing to say.”

“Honey.” Bitty put down the pie he was working on, the last one of the batch, and walked over to Jack. The blond grabbed his hand. “There is no world in which I wouldn’t marry you, Mr. Zimmermann.”

Jack hugged him, going to kiss his cowlick, adorably standing up. He whispered to Bitty, “After today, it’ll be Mr. Zimmermann-Bittle.”

Bitty smiled. “Oh, bless your heart.” He leaned into Jack’s arms, then remembered something. “The pies!”

Jack walked over to the couch as Bitty finished the last batch before heading over to him, curling up on the other side with his legs clutched to his chest.

“Bits.” 

He looked up, staring at Jack. “You know I love you, right?”

Bitty sighed. “That’s not what’s bothering me, Mr. Zimmermann.” He hesitated. “I never thought that this would be happening.”

“Getting married?”

“Getting married to someone I truly love, with my entire family there.”

“Bits . . . .”

Bitty sniffed. “And now that it’s happening, I can hardly believe it.”

“You’ve come so far.”

“I know.”

“And sometimes . . . looking back on it . . . it’s terrifying.”

“At least I’m no longer trapped in that closet.”

“It’s nice to see how much our lives have changed, right?” Jack smiled, holding out his arms. “Come here.”

Bitty scooted over until he was sitting right next to him, legs intertwined. Jack squeezed Bitty into his chest, literally supporting him. Bitty looked up.

“Some part of me . . . I still never believe I made it out of that closet. Out of high school. Out of Georgia.”

“Bits. We both made it. Even when there was no hope.”

“We did, didn’t we?”

Bitty sat up to give Jack a quick kiss. “I can’t wait for tonight... Mr. Zimmermann-Bittle.”

+1

Jack smiled at Bitty, looking at their venue. “We made it, Bits. We made it.”

Bitty smiled back. “It went . . . better than I expected.”

From behind him, they both heard a laugh, looking at Lardo riding on Shitty’s shoulders. Both of them had shed their ties, and Lardo had somehow found her old sunglasses. On the dance floor, Nursey and Dex were arguing and dancing, Nursey stumbling in his heels as he tried to dip Dex. Their parents were talking over wine, Bad Bob and Coach mostly listening as their wives gossipped.

Jack picked up his glass of wine. “To us.”

Bitty laughed. “And to not dropping the ring. Or tripping. Or accidentally getting cut on the lightbulb. Or . . . .”

Jack laughed, putting Bitty’s wine glass in his hand and pulling him in for a kiss. “To us, Mr. Zimmermann-Bittle.”

They clinked their glasses together, and Bitty laughed. “Always, sweetheart. Always to us.”

**Author's Note:**

> google thinking that groomspeople was spelled wrong is stupid
> 
> also if u want me to rant about spellcheck flagging aromantic i will do it at any time free of charge


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